C_H

On 21/11/2022 at 08:25, Alan64 said:

 

That's exactly how those objects appeared to my eye, live, through an eyepiece. 

Thank for your reply. Wow! That image is incredible. I didn’t for a moment think you’d be able to see objects that clearly from a telescope. What scope do you have please?

On 21/11/2022 at 14:03, allworlds said:On the other end of the scale, if you can nudge the budget up and size isn't a major factor, you could go for a floor standing 6 inch Dob like the Ursa Major (£260) or Skywatcher Classic (£300).

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a helpful response.
 

In all honesty, I’m not sure how much of an issue size is going to be. I had initially assumed that he’d prefer something smaller as he could then store it in his office but now I’m not so sure. You’re not the first person to recommend a floor standing dob and now I’m really swayed as you seem to (?) get better quality for a similar price. Where could I store something so big? Is a garage suitable? Probably a stupid question but how do you use a floor mounted scope? Do you need to lie or the floor? *covers face in embarrassment* 

Is the 150p worth the extra £50 or will any difference be under appreciated by a beginners eye? 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope.html#about_this_product

Is it possible to find images of what I might see from each of the scopes? Have tried to look online but can’t find anything useful. 

thank you! 

14 minutes ago, Nyctimene said:

You've mentioned in your earlier post rather dark skies in your garden, and your husband's "obsession" with astronomy. Given that, I'd choose the Heritage 150 P Flextube. Easy to store, setup and handle, and very capable, so that  your husband will not want to upgrade during the next year.......

I'm very pleased with it's smaller brother, the 130 P Flextube, as many on here. It's used as often as my 8", 12" and 18" scopes, and is my best "grab-and-go" scope.

Stephan

Thank you for responding. He is rather obsessed but doesn’t have a great deal of free time hence wanting something that’s quick and easy to set up. I’d love to spend the money on the 150 but leaning towards the 130 if I’m honest. What would you say the main differences are? Image quality? 
 

How do you set up your 130? I’ve read about people using it on tables/stools etc or even lying on the floor. 

You may have seen my earlier thread on choosing a telescope for my husband…

It seems that the Bresser Messier 8" Dobsonian and the Sky-Watcher Classic 200P Dobsonian are highly recommended but unfortunately they seem too big and knowing my husband it would just sit in the cupboard/garage and not get used as much as he (or I) would like. I’ve narrowed it down to some more practical options but I am happy to admit that I’m an absolute novice in this field and would appreciate some advice and I’d love to know which one you’d choose. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-evostar-90-660-az-pronto.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope.html
 

thank you! 

On 03/11/2022 at 11:33, bemak187 said:

Binoculars are a good option to start out with (that is what I did)

Thank you for commenting. I’m not against buying binoculars instead although I’m sure he’ll be a bit confused at first. After doing some research I’ve realised that telescopes are a lot larger than I was expecting and I probably need to look for something more practical. Can you recommend a decent pair of binoculars please? 

On 03/11/2022 at 15:24, allworlds said:

How near are the lights?

They’re quite close (<100m away) but we have large trees around our garden boundary which seems to block most of the light. Our garden definitely isn’t lit up by the street lights and some areas of the garden are very dark. Hoping this will be ok 🤞🏻

I would like to buy my husband a telescope for Christmas this year but in all honesty I don’t know where to start, other than writing on here of course. He is obsessed with astronomy and always pointing planets out to me either in the night sky or on various astronomy apps he has on his phone. I would love to buy him a telescope so he can pursue his interest further but it’s a lot more confusing than I had hoped. 

We live in a fairly rural area but there are a few street lights nearby - will that affect things? I had initially imagined him using the telescope from indoors but if I’ve learned anything from my small amount of research it’s DO NOT view from indoors. I imagine he will be happy to go into the back garden but as I’ve mentioned there are 1 or 2 street lights close by. 

Budget is anything from £150 to £300. What would you recommend please?